A long, overdue update!

I’ve been somewhat slack on updating my blog recently, but so much has been happening that finding the time has been tricky. So much has been going on, in fact, that when I was trying to recall myself what I’d been up to, I got in a bit of a muddle!

I’ve been doing A LOT of writing recently, especially when it comes to entering competitions. Excitingly, I’ve made it to the first round of the Romance Writers of Australia’s Emerald Pro competition. Yes – you did read it right – Emerald PRO.

Now that I’m an author under contract (ooh, I’m an author!), then I’m considered ‘professional’ (seems odd just writing that after five years of trying to become one). This is of course great. The downside, however, is that when I enter competitions I’m up against published, bona fide writers, many of whom no doubt are much more experienced than I am.

As I wasn’t expecting to get to the first round, I must admit that I hadn’t quite completed my manuscript by the time I got the call to submit the full work. It was a lovely surprise to make the first round, but it did mean I had to knuckle down and write 8,000 words in a week, which is no easy task when you work full-time. I discovered, however, very interestingly, that nothing quite focuses the mind like a looming deadline.

So now that’s done and dusted it’s on to the next project. I recently received the RNA’s quarterly newsletter through the post and spotted that they were calling out for entries for the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy award. You have to submit the opening 2,000 words of a novel with them theme ‘child of the sea’. Hmmm, that’s a tough one. I haven’t yet felt particularly inspired by that theme, but want to enter, so will have to wrack my brain…

In other news, I’m venturing into the very-new-for-me world of children’s books, and have written a rhyming story aimed at children aged 4-7. That’s been around nine months in the making now, but progress is going well, and it’s almost at pitching stage.

Children’s writing is all very new to me. Just when I’m starting to get my head around the complex and multi-faceted world of romance, I decide to do my own head in by exploring a completely foreign genre. Super idea! Just joking – it may be new and a bit of a mystery, but it’s also fun, exciting, and who knows what might happen. Okay, we all now that in the murky depths of writing and publishing, probably nothing will happen, but as I always say – if you do nowt, you’ll get nowt. Actually, I’ve never said that, but I’m going to say it all the time from now on because it’s extraordinarily accurate!

Away from writing, I’m delighted to be exploring one of my other loves this week – theatre. Having had a long drought from theatre-going, I’m seeing two shows this week – Noel Coward’s Private Lives in Worthing, and the musical Wicked, on stage in Victoria, London. AND I’ve even got a spot of Shakespeare coming up in May. Get me, very cultured!